


Succession Crises

by TiamatsChild



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-02
Updated: 2012-01-02
Packaged: 2017-10-28 18:09:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/310686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiamatsChild/pseuds/TiamatsChild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodimus and First Aid talk socially oriented anxieties and coping mechanisms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Succession Crises

"Party too much?" Rodimus asked, joining First Aid in leaning on the balcony rail.

First Aid nodded. "Sorry," he said. "It was just close."

"And everyone's buzzed but you?" Rodimus said, and grinned. He certainly was a little. He could feel it, warm and crackly, just enough to be pleasant.

First Aid laughed. "I plead the Fifth. Or I would, but I'm not under oath and you're not bound by it anyway."

"I'll bet." Rodimus said, and propped his chin in his hands. First Aid watched him, not saying anything. "First Aid?" Rodimus asked, after a long moment. "Just hypothetically..." and he trailed off.

"Hypothetically?" First Aid prompted.

This was a bad idea. "What would you say if I offered you the matrix?"

First Aid sighed. "I'm sorry, Rodimus. That's so unfair to you."

"You wouldn't take it."

First Aid shuddered exaggeratedly. "I'm no kind of a leader. I'd be a mess."

"Sure you're a leader," Rodimus told him. "You're brave and organized and you always know what to say. Everyone listens to you."

First Aid just shook his head. "You're very kind, but chief medical officer is scary enough for me."

Rodimus stared at him. "I hadn't thought of that. Is it very different from what you're used to?"

"Terribly!" First Aid told him. "I've never been in sole charge of a hospital before. Now I've got three! And it's frightening - I have to know who belongs where and who works best with who, and you'd think having barely any medical staff would make that simpler, but it doesn't, and just because I've been taking up some of Ratchet's slack, that doesn't mean I wanted to succeed him."

He stopped. Rodimus nodded encouragingly. He wouldn't have expected it, but First Aid's anxieties were making his own seem more reasonable, more manageable.

"That's selfish," First Aid said. "And stupid - it's not like Ratchet - Well, he certainly didn't die just to muck up my career!"

Rodimus winced, but nodded.

First Aid dropped his head. "And that makes it sound like I don't miss him. I do! I just."

"Yeah," Rodimus said, and smiled, because it was good not to be alone. "I get it."

"It's a good party," First Aid said after a moment. "Rowdy. Loud."

"Yeah," Rodimus said, and straightened up. "You want to go back in?"

First Aid tilted his head. "No," he said. "No, not particularly."

Rodimus slumped back down onto the balustrade again. "Oh, good. Neither do I. Too much effort."

"It's a beautiful sky," First Aid said, looking up at it. "You can see the stars so well. Don't you wonder what it looks like if you're Perceptor?"

"Not at the moment," Rodimus said, but he looked up too.

"You know," First Aid said, after a long moment of staring up at the sky, "You know, it might not be what I wanted, but that doesn't mean it's _bad_."

Rodimus looked at him, but he showed no signs of looking back down. "Yeah?" Rodimus said.

"After all, I'm only nineteen now but I've been working all that time. And I can expect to live millions of years more. If I take a few decades or even a few centuries to do administration and learn how to be good at it, that's not very long."

Rodimus tilted his head slowly. "Is that. Actually comforting?"

First Aid appeared to consider this seriously. "Sometimes."

Rodimus sighed. "I'll keep it in mind."

"And I can always take the inventory and reorganize stores if it doesn't!" First Aid said, so brightly that Rodimus had to suspect he was being mocked. Very gently, it was true, but mocked nonetheless.

But First Aid only teased people he liked, so Rodimus smiled at him and said, "Hey, whatever works."

"I'm sure I could find work for you, too, if you wanted it," First Aid said.

"That I might take you up on," Rodimus said.

"I thought you might," First Aid said, and straightened. "I think I hear Nellie Lutcher. Jazz must have gotten in. I want to say hello to him. Come with me?"

Rodimus straightened up too and followed him back to the door, calculating his stride to carry him so that he kept station just behind First Aid's shoulder. As they stepped through into the light and excitement, he leant forward and whispered,"Told you everyone listens to you."

First Aid's laughter was lost in the music.


End file.
